New Products -- June 2002

Green Design Prefer your TV not in view when not in use? Green Design's Series 2 media armoire can keep it out of sight, but the beautifully finished solid cherrywood cabinet may catch your eye anyway. The top part can hold most 36-inch direct-view TVs, and the lower shelves are adjustable for the height of your gear. There are openings for internal wiring, and the back panels detach in case you need to make way for a tangle of cables out to your receiver. You can pick doors to suit your room: solid wood or rippled water-textured glass. Overall dimensions are 55 x 64 x 28 inches. Price: $4,940. www.greendesigns.com, 800-853-4234

iSun With the iSun portable solar charger, which can power portable devices that need 2 watts or less, you'll be ready the next time your PDA, cell phone, or portable player runs out of juice on a long trip. Just be sure to get the window seat -the videocassette-size device unfolds to reveal its energy-capturing solar panels, and the supplied removable suction cups help it stick to a handy window. Charging time depends on sun exposure but is usually a minimum of 2 hours. A switch toggles the iSun's output between 6 and 12 volts. The charger weighs 11 ounces and comes with a 12-volt cigarette-lighter socket and a power cable with seven different adapter plugs. Price: $75. www.isunpower.com, 514-270-5770

Cambridge SoundWorks For less than $1,000, Cambridge SoundWorks' Newton Theater MC100.2 will make for a cozy home theater. Four MC100 speakers, each only 45/8 x 6 x 43/4 inches, serve in the left/right front and surround positions, while the MC150 plays the center channel. All of the satellites have 3/4-inch tweeters and 31/2-inch midrange drivers (two on the center). The P200 subwoofer, powered by a 200-watt amplifier, has a 10-inch polymer-laminated driver. The system's rated bandwidth is 25 Hz to 22 kHz. The speakers are finished in a slate color, though the MC100 also comes in white. Price: $950 (speakers also available separately). www.hifi.com, 800-367-4434

Sharp These days, progressive-scan DVD players are as common as Starbucks, but that shouldn't stop you from sipping a lukewarm latte while watching The Matrix in 480p. You can do that (you'll have to supply your own latte) with Sharp's affordable DV-S2U player, which can also play home-burned CD-Rs and CD-RWs with MP3 files as well as DVD-RW discs. Besides its progressive component-video output, there are composite- and S-video outputs and a coaxial digital audio output. Price: $230. www.sharpusa.com, 800-237-4277